Town centre bar keeps hotel guests awake

Adam Hewitt • Published 24 Jan 2008 15:45 0 Comments

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NOISY revellers who keep guests at a luxury hotel awake could spell unwelcome changes for a town centre bar.

The Environmental Protection Team (EPT) at Reading Borough Council says music from the Revolution bar in Station Road is loud enough to annoy guests at the nearby Malmaison hotel, so the bar will have its licence reviewed at a meeting tomorrow (Friday).

EPT senior technical officer Catherine Lewis said: "Music is audible within a number of rooms within the hotel, and it is alleged that this makes it difficult for people to sleep.

"Officers have witnessed the noise disturbance within the hotel during the investigation, and even with the triple-glazed windows closed, levels in the room are unreasonably high."

She said noise monitoring tests showed that the bass beat especially could be heard in the rooms, due to poor sound insulation in Revolution, which is undergoing a facelift and is not due to reopen until next month.

Ms Lewis added: "Substantial structural works will be required to the Revolution building to resolve the problem."

Revolution can play music and sell alcohol until 2am from Mondays to Thursdays and until 3am on Fridays and Saturdays, plus 30 minutes drinking-up time, except on Sundays when the bar closes at 12.30am.

The council wants conditions attached to the licence to ensure music from the club does not disturb the hotel guests and is demanding a sound-limiting device be fitted under Environmental Protection Team supervision.

Lorraine Jarvie, general manager at the Malmaison, sent a log of complaints to support tomorrow's licence review. In just three weeks from November 27 to December 19, seven guests complained about the noise, and some had to be moved to different rooms.

Nobody at Revolution or its parent company Inventive Leisure was available for comment this week.

This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 24 Jan 08

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